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The Super Powers of the QR Code

July 18th, 2011 | Categories: Blog

Is this you? You’re sifting through the mail and you notice a little square barcode on one particular flyer. You think you’ve heard something about this, so you discretely pull out your smart phone…and take a picture. Nothing happens. Nada. What’s the deal? Okay, maybe that wasn’t you–actually, it was our intern Serena not to long ago. 🙂

The 2-D barcodes, (aka QR codes or Quick Response codes), are popping up all around us, on the billboards we pass on our way to work (which surprisingly sounds as safe as texting while driving), on our coffee, or even in the signs at the grocery store.

QR codes give us a slight feeling of invincibility, like Superman. Instead of X-Ray vision, we can just hold up our phones to be taken beyond the 3-D world beyond the black-and-white world of the bar-code. People are finding creative uses for the QR code. In fact, in a recent article in the Toronto Star, one tatoo artist in Paris claims to be the first artist to have successfully tatood a QR code on a man’s chest.

For example, an article on July 14 from the New York Business Wire told how one music artist gave fans a free song by displaying a QR code during a show. QR codes are even popping up in the signs above produce in the grocery store. With one scan, you can be taken back to your food’s roots, and see the farm from which it came from before being shipped thousands of miles away.

According to an article in the tech news site mashable.com, 52% of people have seen a QR code, but only 28% have actually used a QR code scanner. Part of the reason is that it is still in the “early adopter” stage. Also, QR code readers are not included software on most smart-phones…yet. But, there is good news. There’s an app for that. (Also, if Google Inc. has plans to bring your credit card information to your phone, and possibly your rewards, and passports, too, it’s not far away).

What makes a QR code successful? Point of Sale News lists these tips in bold:

1. Business should teach the code (give directions) – This will help encourage customers to not be discouraged and to continue scanning the codes with their phones.

2. Ask “How does it benefit the customer” – Have you ever scanned a QR code and wondered what you were supposed to be searching for once you’ve arrived?

3. QR codes should be rewarding – in a word, have fun!

4. Follow up – continue linking. Give your customer another reason to pull out their smart-phone.

Even here at MVP Video Production, we have a QR code that links cell-phone users to our website. And in a few weeks we’ll be publishing another QR code  that will take you to a brand new exclusive site! So, pull out your smart phones.

For more history on the QR code, check out this link! http://mashable.com/2011/03/04/qr-codes-infographic/

So, now you know!

Your friends at MVP Video Production

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